Inclusive Collab/Consultation

Catalog description

The course will examine the concept of collaboration, its defining characteristics, and its benefits and challenges. The course will examine the need for collaborative partnerships for the benefit of Students with Disabilities, including family strengthening partnerships as well as collaboration between teachers of children with both typical and special education needs. Students will explore the development of collaboration as it relates to special education, including the current trend to educate students with disabilities and other special needs in general education classrooms. They will look at the communication skills on which effective collaboration is based and at interpersonal problem solving as the most central process in professional collaboration. Students will explore school services and applications in which success relies heavily on collaboration. They will learn about the topic of teaming, as well as different service delivery models including: co-teaching, consultation, coaching, and mentoring. Strategies such as negotiation and persuasion that help in dealing with awkward and adversarial interactions will be addressed, particularly as they relate to conflict and resistance. Students will learn about appropriate and inappropriate roles for paraeducators, professionals' supervisory responsibilities when working with paraeducators and issues that may arise when paraeducators are part of an education team. Students will also examine the nature of professional interactions with parents/families and guidelines in terms of how to ensure that family members are truly partners in educational decision making for their children. Lastly, interagency and community collaboration will be considered as well as trends and issues related to collaboration.